The present invention relates to a convertible garment in general, and more specifically to a garment that can be worn on the legs as well as the arms.
People often wear articles of clothing in a manner not originally intended by the manufacturer. A simple example is the intentional tearing or ripping of jeans to create a worn, tattered appearance. Another example is represented by the individual that wears clothing that is way too small or way too big, i.e., the oversized, baggy look.
Most of these examples represent short-lived fads. For the most part, people purchase and wear clothing that fits. The style, coloring or overall look may change with the times, obviously, and in some cases such styles cycle between being fashionable and unfashionable throughout the life of the wearer.
However, regardless of the type, style, color, material or size of the clothing item, everyone experiences the problem of clothing that is simply too worn, too old or just doesn""t fit anymore. When faced with such a problem, the usual solution is to replace such clothing items with new ones, with the old garments being donated to charitable causes, thrown out or handed down to younger generations.
Creative individuals have found ways to convert unwanted clothing into articles of desire. Whether it is called recycling or designing, the concept of taking something old and reviving it, or making something new, is alive and well in the garment industry.
For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,138,716 to Deuschle, a jacket is created in a piecemeal fashion from multiple pairs of jeans. The jeans, which used to be worn on the legs, are taken apart and manipulated into a garment that is worn on the torso. Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,230 to Laudick, a halter top is formed out of a pair of jeans by removing the waistband from a pair of jeans to form a body strap, removing two pockets and attaching the same to the waistband to form breast cups and attaching connecting straps between the waistband and the pockets. In both cases, the identity of the original clothing items (i.e., jeans) becomes transformed and replaced by the identity of the new clothing item (i.e., jacket or halter top), such that the original clothing items are not longer capable of being used or worn in any fashion.
The present inventor has devised a new way of manipulating a garment such that the garment can be transformed into a new article of clothing, yet still be worn on the part of the body as originally intended by the manufacturer. Specifically, the present invention comprises a method of converting a pair of pants into a garment that can be worn both as a top and as a pair of pants, and a convertible garment created from such method. Such convertible garment can be formed from an old article of clothing to recycle the same, or from a new article of clothing to create an entirely different look from such article.
A convertible garment comprises an article of clothing originally intended to be worn on a person""s legs, such as pants, shorts or the like, with a neck-sized portion of the crotch section removed so that such modified clothing article can be worn on the upper body. When worn on the upper body, the legs of the original clothing article become the arm sleeves of the modified clothing article. The modified clothing article can also continue to be worn on the legs as long as the person""s body behind the now-removed crotch portion is sufficiently concealed by a suitable undergarment. The original clothing article may be further modified to vary the appearance and utility of the modified clothing article.